Which tablets / devices do you use to read books?

[blazeofglory]

We are living today in an e-age and quite a huge number of us do use electronic readings and own miscellaneous devices. I am using ipad and now thinking about buying Kindle and since it is smaller, handier, and easier to carry than weighty books. I can carry a vast library in my pocket and it costs comparatively lower. There are moments of nostalgia of course when I turn pages of some great epic like the Mahabharata but the day is different today since I have to travel a lot and carrying such books is cumbersome.

I am not sure which electronic device proves better when it comes down to e-reading. My ipad is bulky. I want some mini and compact gadget that will be simple yet more condensed

[Calidore]

Consumersearch collects and analyzes reviews from all over the place to build recommendations. They also give their sources so you can backtrack if you like. See if this helps:

http://www.consumersearch.com/ebook-reader-reviews

[MorpheusSandman]

I use an iPad. I both the GoodReader and Kindle app for it. The iPad is bulkier than the Kindle, but it's still no heavier than your average hardback, and I prefer the bigger, brighter, higher contrast screen. So easy on the eyes, and plenty of room for poetry formatting. Personally, I wouldn't recommend buying a Kindle just to have something smaller, lighter, and more portable. Do some arm work-outs and make it easier to carry the iPad.

[ladderandbucket]

I like the e-ink on a kindle. I haven't used an ipad but too much reading from computer monitors gives me eye strain and I imagine any backlit device would be the same. The kindle feels very comfortable to read from - sometimes I think even better than paper. I just wish I could get an e-ink reader that handles pdfs as well as my laptop.

Don't think I will ever give up on paper entirely though. I will always want a hard copy of my favourite books.

[prendrelemick]

I lurve my kindle. BUT it is not like a book, you can't flick forwards or back easily, and I miss that.

[Delta40]

I'm about to enter the technological age and start using a Galaxy tab 2.7 where I can use the Kobo app to upload books. My mobile phone is so old I know I will go into meltdown mode learning to operate this thing so if anyone can help me when the time comes I will really appreciate it...

[Emil Miller]

I lurve my kindle. BUT it is not like a book, you can't flick forwards or back easily, and I miss that.

I have only just found out that E-books don't have page numbers but is there a facility for making notes of certain passages?

[OrphanPip]

I have only just found out that E-books don't have page numbers but is there a facility for making notes of certain passages?

I think kindle has a bookmark feature, the pc version on my laptop does at least. Although if you get an e-book in PDF they do have page numbers. I'm not very familiar with commercial e-books, I only use them for public domain texts.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I have only just found out that E-books don't have page numbers but is there a facility for making notes of certain passages?

Yes the kindle has a highlight facility but it is fairly basic, the one I have anyway. It's probably improved in some of the other devices.

About a year on and I would say that I am using my kindle only about 25% of the time in comparison to books. This is because some of the books are not available or if they are actually cost quite a bit more than a used or even new paper copy. I'm also reading some text book style chess books which do not work well on the kindle anyway, as I suspect most text books don't. On the other hand I have been waiting for over two weeks for one book which I now suspect has been lost in the post. Not happy, it would of course been a case of instant download had it been available on kindle. There are pros and cons with both clearly.

[Paulclem]

I am reading fiction or history and perhaps 75% is on the kindle. I would regularly buy books, and so I do save, though i also have free books. I'm reading Solaris by Stanislav Lem at the moment and it cost me £2.75 on the Kindle - or thereabouts - which is a lot cheaper than paper. New books are the same as paper copies, and so I wouldn't buy them until they came down in price in either format unless I really really wanted it.

Most of the books I read are a once only read, and so I don't need a library. In fact it's the reason my wife got me it last year. Fewer piles about the place.

I have the kindle with me virtually all the time. It's small and fits into whatever bag I've got, and I get it out on buses, in cafes and at home. Fantastic.

[Charles Darnay]

Some of the newer books on Kindle have page numbers (that correspond to physical book page numbers). It is up to the publisher to add in this feature: many don't.

[Goodman Brown]

well I just started using the Nook from Barnes n Noble it's the basic no frils model but it does have book marker and it displays page numbers adjusted the font to the right size I think it's great it's small and holds alot of books ! carry them anywhere,,,,,,,,,,

[Buh4Bee]

I wanted a gun for Christmas, at first, just to be sure I'd be safe at school from my elementary school children. Then I realized the Google Nexus tablet might be fun, because I can load games onto it. Why be mean when you can be popular? I already have a Kindle, so I think, for now, I'm going to use that device for reading and the tablet for other things like grocery list, address book, calendar, and web access.

[Calidore]

That's yet another advantage of books over e-readers that I'd never considered: subduing hostiles. If I need to klonk someone, I would definitely rather have my Bevington Complete Shakespeare on hand than an e-reader.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

I have only just found out that E-books don't have page numbers but is there a facility for making notes of certain passages?

I have a B&N NOOK going on 3 years old.

Emil, my NOOK has page numbers, ability to bookmark and you can highlight text.
I haven't explored all the bells and whistles available, but I'm fairly certain it does not offer a notes feature, even if it did, it would be tedious using the small keypad.
The current models may offer a notes feature.

[Emil Miller]

Thanks all for the info on e-book page numbering. I am still addicted to the tactile response from paper and do not envisage buying an e-reader but I am in the process of having another book published in both digital and hard copy and the publisher mentioned that e-books are not normally page numbered. Having recently finished reading a book that required extensive notations I was intrigued to know if e-readers allowed the reader to do likewise.

[prendrelemick]

Yes it has a book mark function , but you have to know which bits you may need to revisit. You can add notes too. You can also see popular highlights that other readers have marked.

[Emil Miller]

Most paperbacks have a blurb on the rear cover, how does an e-reader incorporate a blurb?

[Clovis]

My smart phone is dated now, before I'd ended up reading a good bit on it. Only use it for wifi now, I'm going to get a far simpler phone to replace it, assuming such a thing still exists? Might get a cheap kindle, I sometimes read on my computer. Most of my reading is good old books, bought cheap on amazon, often used books there are even less than ebooks, kindle is great for free classics though!

[Buh4Bee]

One of the things I love about the kindle is that fact that you don't have stacks of books hanging around.

[prendrelemick]

Emil: I don't think it usually has that. Another problem (for the author) is that because it goes straight to the last page read when you awitch on, the cover is not always under your eye, I've read many a book and forgotten the authors name on my E-reader.

[Emil Miller]

Thanks for letting me know. Some books have the title at the top of each alternate page and the author's name on the facing page but I think that the majority don't. As I want to ensure that the blurb is incorporated in my most recent book, I will e-mail the publisher asking him to put it in as a preface.

[mal4mac]

I have only just found out that E-books don't have page numbers but is there a facility for making notes of certain passages?

There is a higlighting facility, but I read that publishers often put a low limit on the number of highlights you can make... a few dozen seems common, from what I read... for "serious" books I'd want to be able to make more highlights than they are pages so this isn't at all useful. In fact, after I read about this limit I decided to stick with books...

Also, I'm forever finding one star review of great books on Amazon and it's almost always "the Kindle version is useless..."

[stlukesguild]

I read using the most high-tech device. It's called a book.

[qimissung]

I just got a Nook for Christmas. I will always love real books made of paper, but I am very much looking forward to my e-book experience.It's not something I would have gotten for myself.

Now if I can just figure out how to connect it to the wifi. :D

I got it. :D:D

[metal134]

I have both a Kindle and a Nook, but I mostly use the Kindle if I'm going to read an e-book. Of course, I still buy physical books all the time and go back and forth between the two. Depends on what I'm reading, really. I read mostly classic literature on my e-readers because they're in the public domain and thus, free. I read most post WWII literature from physical books because if I'm going to have to buy it, I may as well own it.

[JBI]

I read using the most high-tech device. It's called a book.

Still, you must admit the Kindle has its bonuses - you can carry more, increase the text size, and flip through just as easily. The world of the book is already something of the past. We can produce books without really spending resources anymore. It is not about high tech or low tech - by this point, the most basic kindle is good enough to replace almost any home library if the books are in digital format. 15$for a book that is free.

That being said, I personally, like you, have a large library (I would say mine is about 3000-4000 books). I spent a lot of money on it, but now I find I can find better editions of much of the stuff online. I can get the most scholarly and extensive editions that only a reference library would have had 20 years ago on my computer. I basically have a library to rival any major research library on East Asia right at my disposal.

If we talk of technologies, there is no doubt the book is dated as a product. It's a matter of time, like how the manuscript lent itself to the handwritten codex, and the codex to the pressed book, and now the pressed book to the digital book, and soon the digital book will transition, probably to a different sense of "reading". I myself gladly welcome such an advance.

I mean, I do not see many people listening to music recorded on big cylinders.

[Calidore]

If we talk of technologies, there is no doubt the book is dated as a product. It's a matter of time, like how the manuscript lent itself to the handwritten codex, and the codex to the pressed book, and now the pressed book to the digital book, and soon the digital book will transition, probably to a different sense of "reading". I myself gladly welcome such an advance.

I mean, I do not see many people listening to music recorded on big cylinders.

Old doesn't necessarily mean dated, and I wouldn't agree that the book is dated. The current pressed book is indeed an improvement over manuscripts, scrolls, etc., but it's lasted as it is for hundreds of years for a reason. It's a good, convenient package.

You mention music recorded on big cylinders, to which I'd point out that there has never been a form of music recording (or film/video for that matter) that didn't require a separate device to play it back. Paper books don't have any such requirement; they can be picked up and enjoyed just as they are. Digital books, however do require a device to read them, and those devices and formats will change and become obsolete. They've also introduced the ability of publishers to encrypt and restrict the content, which they can't do with paper books. As DVDs, for one example, have shown with their encrypted copy protection and region-encoding along with their much better quality and bountiful extras, if you hide restrictions with lots of pretty bells and whistles, people won't care.

How many iterations have the iPad, Nook, and Kindle already gone through? Will all three still be around and reading the same formats in 20 years, or will people have to rebuy the same e-books yet again? How many people bought HD-DVDs during the recent next-gen format war (or Betamax tapes during that war), and does anyone at Sony et al really feel sorry for them? Paper books don't leave casualties.

[JBI]

You just display lack of knowledge about both printing, printing technologies, and censorship. The digital text is actually far harder to censor than the physical one. The ability to transmit knowledge in digital format has been a leading player in the development of political consciousness for better or for worse in numerous places around the world already. The so called printed book required a major operation, or press, to put the thing through. For that reason, books until the end of the 19th century were relatively expensive. As the press required a physical, labor intensive process, it was the subject to major control - for a while in England, for instance, publishing was restricted to London, which probably lead to almost all the major works on the English renaissance both resembling London English, as well as being dispersed around London cultural circles.

As for the transition, Pulp replacing rag paper made books affordable to more people - a new advance in technology, and then digital printing allowed for an addition without the pain of laying out type. Now that we pretty much live in the digital printing age, we already have experienced the technology change. Why do we need someone to press a book for us when we can get them on a little techno-gadget. The first generation of E-Readers are still highly useable, and effective. On my kindle, which I got as a present, I can put any book I want for free - if this changes, then someone else will be along to make the money on free-loading devices. Now that we can put everything for free, books are significantly cheaper. Classics are free, and publishers should only make money on original works.

As such, if you need to re-purchase a book, there is perhaps a mistake. If you need to purchase a book in the first place, well there is logic in that. Authors and publishers should be entitled to money too. IF I want another edition of a physical book, I need to pay for it also. I must have 50 different editions of Confucius' Analects on my computer now that I got for free. I could never have done that with physical books. I can get a 50 volume set on the classics, or a 100 volume set of Collected poetic works. I can get a 30 volume collected works of Chinese Literature up until the Tang Period - that was usually restricted to libraries, now it is a personal collection.

You think the world has lost something? No it has gained. The technological advance has allowed for the dispersing of knowledge, and the opening up of archives. I no longer need to travel to Beijing to visit the library - I can do it at home - I do not even need to leave my room. IF authors want to be paid for digital works, I see no problem for that. Anybody with an E-Reader will tell you that they probably save money by reading digitally anyway. Not to mention the pleasures of being able to play with the font size, and the lack of strain on the eyes that comes with it.

Then again, if you read on a colour device I pity you, as that does truly strain one's eyes. The Ipad is a great tool, but an awful E-Reader.

My wish is rather than see e-readers develop in new directions, to rather see them develop into more affordable products. Right now a good E-Reader with a good case will set one back over 100$. They should be down to 60 or so next year. And then eventually they will be giving them away for free with purchase of xdollars worth of books.

[Clovis]

I did actually end up getting another smart phone, let us hope it doesn't becomes ancient in 6mnths like the other one did. It has a bigger screen, I'll probably start reading on it, free and cheap kindle books especially.

[julian94]

I think that comparing a kindle to a physical book is... redundant.


A kindle is complementary to a book. If not, either books wouldn't exist anymore, or the device would be a flop.

I like using the kindle for its integrated dictionary and because I can download most canons for free.

Of course, the adequately webbie-versed would know more things about it...hmmm


The Paperwhite is by far the best of its kind. That's a fact. Get it.

[JBI]

I think that comparing a kindle to a physical book is... redundant.


A kindle is complementary to a book. If not, either books wouldn't exist anymore, or the device would be a flop.

I like using the kindle for its integrated dictionary and because I can download most canons for free.

Of course, the adequately webbie-versed would know more things about it...hmmm


The Paperwhite is by far the best of its kind. That's a fact. Get it.

Yes, and the codex is compliment to the scroll, and the scroll compliment to the bamboo and the bamboo compliment to the bronze vessel, and the bronze vessel compliment to the tortoise shell, which in turn is compliment to the cave wall.

Seriously, the printed book is becoming smaller and smaller. Anybody can tell you that - Amazon makes more money now in digital sales than physical sales. The world is changing.

[qimissung]

Yes, the world is changing, but I still fail to see why the world cannot accommodate both regular books and e-books. I don't understand why it seemingly must be either/or. Why can't they companionably exist side by side. That's the world I would like to live in, not this cold "You vill read the e-book or else!" kind of world.

[julian94]

Yes, and the codex is compliment to the scroll, and the scroll compliment to the bamboo and the bamboo compliment to the bronze vessel, and the bronze vessel compliment to the tortoise shell, which in turn is compliment to the cave wall.

Seriously, the printed book is becoming smaller and smaller. Anybody can tell you that - Amazon makes more money now in digital sales than physical sales. The world is changing.

Well, they didn't need electricity xP.


But that was one of the points I wanted to delve into, which is that tablets/kindles will eventually own the market, and that is when they will have had demonstrated a clear superiority over physical books. At the moment, just economically, the evolution of reading mediums is based on how cheap and efficient the mediums become--even the cave wall is more expensive than the book--and tablets are not cheaper than one physical book. Also, let's not forget about printing technology. What if they manage to develop a home printer that prints books? It already exists in libraries, after all. And people are nostalgic.

Also, I have too much hope over humanity.

[JBI]

Well, they didn't need electricity xP.


But that was one of the points I wanted to delve into, which is that tablets/kindles will eventually own the market, and that is when they will have had demonstrated a clear superiority over physical books. At the moment, just economically, the evolution of reading mediums is based on how cheap and efficient the mediums become--even the cave wall is more expensive than the book--and tablets are not cheaper than one physical book. Also, let's not forget about printing technology. What if they manage to develop a home printer that prints books? It already exists in libraries, after all. And people are nostalgic.

Also, I have too much hope over humanity.

They are cheaper every year. If I buy 5-6 penguin books to read the classics, in Canada at least, I am already out the cost of an E-Reader. They are, in that sense, already quite cost effective. Will the price drop? Naturally, I can get ones here in China for about 10$ that do virtually all that the kindle does.

[MementoMori]

Yes, the world is changing, but I still fail to see why the world cannot accommodate both regular books and e-books. I don't understand why it seemingly must be either/or. Why can't they companionably exist side by side. That's the world I would like to live in, not this cold "You vill read the e-book or else!" kind of world.

I can see this eventually being the end of the regular old paperback book, but I think with the growing prevalence of the ebook, publishers will put more of an emphasis on the aesthetic merits of their printed books. There'll be fewer printed books sold, but those that are sold will be high quality, ornate editions.

I've put off getting an ereader for a few reasons:

Not a lot of criticism or scholarly editions of texts seem to be available.

A lot of ebooks are poorly formatted; even the ones you have to pay for. This is especially true for poetry, where the form of the text is arguably most important.

The inability to adequately 'interact' with the text i.e. annotations, lots of bookmarks, post-its etc. I really rely on this when I'm writing essays. I know that there are digital equivalents but they don't seem as effective.

Obviously these are minor issues that will eventually be ironed out but until then I think I'll pass on buying one for myself.

[julian94]

They are cheaper every year. If I buy 5-6 penguin books to read the classics, in Canada at least, I am already out the cost of an E-Reader. They are, in that sense, already quite cost effective. Will the price drop? Naturally, I can get ones here in China for about 10$ that do virtually all that the kindle does.


But really ultimately everything depends on the mentality of readers as a collective. Most people who buy ereaders are those who buy bestsellers. Those who are really avid followers of literature--encompassing speculative fiction--would, I think, on the assumption that these readers are proud, would rather buy physical copies of books they consider to be good. After all, in the dawn of the radios and televisions, thinkers would predict the end of literature. Obvious ones. But jump half a century later and the bookpocalypse still hasn't happened.






Not a lot of criticism or scholarly editions of texts seem to be available.

Are you kidding? Researching is one of my Kindle's key functions. Not only I can download some stuff for free, I can convert texts on the Internet into PDF format and read them on my Kindle. Much less eye strain. Of course, when it comes to more obscure texts, in any language, I'd buy or borrow it, but there is a plethora of scholarly texts on the Internet and on the Tablet.




The inability to adequately 'interact' with the text i.e. annotations, lots of bookmarks, post-its etc. I really rely on this when I'm writing essays. I know that there are digital equivalents but they don't seem as effective.

Obviously these are minor issues that will eventually be ironed out but until then I think I'll pass on buying one for myself.


I don't know about you, but I can highlight on my e-reader, which also tracks the parts I've highlighted In fact, I also have an integrated dictionary that I can use just by tapping on the word.



I'm neither pro nor against e-readers, but these arguments are so repetitive and weak, basing on assumptions rather than clear observation. But I'm being a bit dishonest: I like that discussions like this exist. This means that people are still more or less conscious.

[MementoMori]

Are you kidding? Researching is one of my Kindle's key functions. Not only I can download some stuff for free, I can convert texts on the Internet into PDF format and read them on my Kindle. Much less eye strain. Of course, when it comes to more obscure texts, in any language, I'd buy or borrow it, but there is a plethora of scholarly texts on the Internet and on the Tablet.

I don't know about you, but I can highlight on my e-reader, which also tracks the parts I've highlighted In fact, I also have an integrated dictionary that I can use just by tapping on the word.

I'm neither pro nor against e-readers, but these arguments are so repetitive and weak, basing on assumptions rather than clear observation. But I'm being a bit dishonest: I like that discussions like this exist. This means that people are still more or less conscious.

I'm not assuming anything.

Say I want the authoritative Cambridge edition of the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald (http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/series/series_display/item3936969/?portal:componentId=15314&portal:type=action&portal:isSecure=false&portal:portletMode=view&pageNo=2) for my dissertation. It is not currently available as an ebook. No doubt it will one day be available - Cambridge have a few ebooks on their site - but right now it isn't. Take, for example, the Arden Hamlet (http://www.amazon.com/Hamlet-Arden-Shakespeare-Third-William/dp/1904271332) or the Longman Paradise Lost (http://www.amazon.com/Milton-Paradise-Lost-re-issue-2nd/dp/1405832789/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356697506&sr=1-1&keywords=longman+paradise+lost). All are editions of books that I would like and as far as I'm aware they're not available as ebooks. Not legally, anyway and I don't pirate.

I use online journals to download a lot of pdf articles which can be read on ereaders, that's true, and I'm sure there are a lot of other resources available online, but there are no ebook versions that I can find of specific books that I want such as Northrop Frye's Fearful Symmetry (http://www.amazon.com/Fearful-Symmetry-William-Collected-Northrop/dp/0802089836/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356696347&sr=1-1&keywords=northrop+frye+fearful+symmetry). I have to go to the library for things like that.

The Kindle's highlight function is all well and good, but it's not enough for me and I specified that in my post.

I don't care if people use ereaders. I have nothing against them. I was just mentioning why I don't have one yet .

[julian94]

Not legally, anyway and I don't pirate.
I don't care if people use ereaders. I have nothing against them. I was just mentioning why I don't have one yet .


Oh, ok, I understand your post better. And I was basing my argument regardless of certain specifics, such as the edition, etc, but rather on the availability of the actual text.




As for the last statement, I didn't intend that towards you, but as a general comment.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

.
E-readers have no character
Where is the fragrant, musty odor?
The broken down spine and threadbare cover?
The brown and yellow blotches that appear with age?
The hungry book bug’s perforated page?

(click on thumbnail)

http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae114/tabuka1/Books/th_IMGP2903.jpg (http://s963.photobucket.com/albums/ae114/tabuka1/Books/?action=view&current=IMGP2903.jpg)


http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae114/tabuka1/Books/th_IMGP2905.jpg (http://s963.photobucket.com/albums/ae114/tabuka1/Books/?action=view&current=IMGP2905.jpg)

http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae114/tabuka1/Books/th_IMGP2906.jpg (http://s963.photobucket.com/albums/ae114/tabuka1/Books/?action=view&current=IMGP2906.jpg)


http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae114/tabuka1/Books/th_IMGP2907.jpg (http://s963.photobucket.com/albums/ae114/tabuka1/Books/?action=view&current=IMGP2907.jpg)


I remembered this from reading Walter Scott’s Guy Mannering (on my NOOK ironically):

“That weight of wood, with leathern coat o’laid,
Those ample clasps of solid metal made.
The close-press’d leaves unoped for many an age.
The dull red edging of the well filled page.
On the broad back stubborn ridges roll’d.
Where yet the title stands in tarnished gold.”

[qimissung]

I can see this eventually being the end of the regular old paperback book, but I think with the growing prevalence of the ebook, publishers will put more of an emphasis on the aesthetic merits of their printed books. There'll be fewer printed books sold, but those that are sold will be high quality, ornate editions.

I've put off getting an ereader for a few reasons:

Not a lot of criticism or scholarly editions of texts seem to be available.

A lot of ebooks are poorly formatted; even the ones you have to pay for. This is especially true for poetry, where the form of the text is arguably most important.

The inability to adequately 'interact' with the text i.e. annotations, lots of bookmarks, post-its etc. I really rely on this when I'm writing essays. I know that there are digital equivalents but they don't seem as effective.

Obviously these are minor issues that will eventually be ironed out but until then I think I'll pass on buying one for myself.

The world of books will change, and I think you're right that publishers will put more emphasis on the aesthetic merits of books. I think, to a degree, this is already happening.

I found this article, which sums up the current trend:


"Beyond these short-term trends the picture is much less clear. In all likelihood the future of publishing will be a mixed economy of print and digital rather than a one-way shift from print to digital, and the most successful publishers will be those who are able to structure their businesses in a way that enables them to take full advantage of both."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-b-thompson/future-of-books_b_1501182.html

I hope this is the case. I agree with Gilliatt. Nothing can equal the tactile experience of holding a book in one's hands. And we should be careful. We seem to be doing away with most of our tactile experiences in our haste to reach the future.

[JBI]

I'm not assuming anything.

Say I want the authoritative Cambridge edition of the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald (http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/series/series_display/item3936969/?portal:componentId=15314&portal:type=action&portal:isSecure=false&portal:portletMode=view&pageNo=2) for my dissertation. It is not currently available as an ebook. No doubt it will one day be available - Cambridge have a few ebooks on their site - but right now it isn't. Take, for example, the Arden Hamlet (http://www.amazon.com/Hamlet-Arden-Shakespeare-Third-William/dp/1904271332) or the Longman Paradise Lost (http://www.amazon.com/Milton-Paradise-Lost-re-issue-2nd/dp/1405832789/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356697506&sr=1-1&keywords=longman+paradise+lost). All are editions of books that I would like and as far as I'm aware they're not available as ebooks. Not legally, anyway and I don't pirate.

I use online journals to download a lot of pdf articles which can be read on ereaders, that's true, and I'm sure there are a lot of other resources available online, but there are no ebook versions that I can find of specific books that I want such as Northrop Frye's Fearful Symmetry (http://www.amazon.com/Fearful-Symmetry-William-Collected-Northrop/dp/0802089836/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356696347&sr=1-1&keywords=northrop+frye+fearful+symmetry). I have to go to the library for things like that.

The Kindle's highlight function is all well and good, but it's not enough for me and I specified that in my post.

I don't care if people use ereaders. I have nothing against them. I was just mentioning why I don't have one yet .

The answer to this is simple. Most of these scholarly editions are back editions. Within the decade all new released books will come out as E-Books upon release. What that means is, obscure books, ones you would need a research library for that is, will need to wait. China has been great on getting virtually everything in print online in one form or another - you can get virtually every book printed before 1800 in the online Sishu-Quanku (the world's biggest printed encyclopedia which is a massive anthology of all "acceptable" extant works) and almost everything afterward. In fact, the internet has been pushing at research libraries.

What this has meant is that soon there will be advances in putting large libraries online (private libraries such as university libraries). This will entoll a fee to view the book, but much easier access. Many libraries are currently in this process - Librarians themselves are not too angry, understanding that this is actually creating more jobs.

Now, if we reconsider the move from handcopy to printing, we will note that the "top" stuff of the printed world for a good century still remained illuminated after print was established. Of course the best-seller is going to drive the change in technology - the Bible, in vernacular being the first example of a printed book in the West illustrates this. Think of it as VHS versus DVD almost, or even DVD versus the theatre - you used to go see movies, now you don't get up from your desk. They are all right there in front of you, all you need to do is hit a button.

Of course reading itself will not change, only the physical text. Digital text exploitation can be had fun with as a medium in itself though. It merely will take a sort of creative thinker to work out how to do it.

And by the way, Fearful Symmetry is available online in a good E-Book format. Google books was putting out a great chunk of it a few months ago, you could start there.

[ladderandbucket]

Having used a kindle for the last 18 months I am starting to notice it is harder to recall details from e-books than from physical ones. Similarly, if I remember some obscure line or scene from a book it is harder to place its origin if it came from an e-book.
I suppose this is because the physical characteristics of a book provide me with an easy referencing system. Thinking about books I read a decade ago I can always recall the cover and format even if details of the content are hazy.
Maybe this says more about my limitations as a reader than anything else, but I am slightly concerned that a decade of reading e-books will leave me with a huge block of facts, ideas, scenes and characters with no easy way of isolating a narrative or, more worryingly, of distinguishing between fact and fiction.

[Buh4Bee]

I have an e-book and a tablet. I find that the battery on the e-book lasts much longer than the one on the tablet. For this reason, reading the e-book is much more convenient. I find I am reading magazines and the newspaper on the tablet.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Well, I tell you I am getting sick of the prices on the Kindle, ridiculous. There is no way I am going to pay more for a digital e-book of the real thing, than I am of the real thing.

Don't get me wrong I'm not anti e-reader, it's just that out of the last 20 books I have bought, 19 of them have been real books due to the price being more than than the ebook. Ebooks should be at least half price if not then I'm not paying for it. I'm not made o' money...as they say up north way.

Extra rant - how can they charge you more for the digital copy than they do for the printing of the full book + postage. Shameful!

Stick that up your ereader.

Plus, if you want to you can sell on your books again, not so with kindle ebooks and so on.

[Buckthorn]

Don't get me wrong I'm not anti e-reader, it's just that out of the last 20 books I have bought, 19 of them have been real books due to the price being more than than the ebook. Ebooks should be at least half price if not then I'm not paying for it. I'm not made o' money...as they say up north way.

Extra rant - how can they charge you more for the digital copy than they do for the printing of the full book + postage. Shameful!



I have a Kindle but I completely agree with this, I buy the cheapest version or wait for the Kindle price to come down.

What also annoys me is that when a Kindle book is reduced in price its by a massive amount, I bought the Life of PI on 24th December for £2.39, its now £0.20:shocked:

[LitNetIsGreat]

I have a Kindle but I completely agree with this, I buy the cheapest version or wait for the Kindle price to come down.

What also annoys me is that when a Kindle book is reduced in price its by a massive amount, I bought the Life of PI on 24th December for £2.39, its now £0.20:shocked:

Amazon insist that the price is set by the publisher, not by them. This is fine, but why then am I going to order a kindle book for £12.99, when I can get it for £4.99 brand new including postage or such thing. Seriously they have got to sort this out as it is ridiculous. For the last three months my kindle has sat with one book for interest on it and it is all down to the market prices.

[Scheherazade]

Can you not download books from your library onto your Kindle?

[JBI]

Well, I tell you I am getting sick of the prices on the Kindle, ridiculous. There is no way I am going to pay more for a digital e-book of the real thing, than I am of the real thing.

Don't get me wrong I'm not anti e-reader, it's just that out of the last 20 books I have bought, 19 of them have been real books due to the price being more than than the ebook. Ebooks should be at least half price if not then I'm not paying for it. I'm not made o' money...as they say up north way.

Extra rant - how can they charge you more for the digital copy than they do for the printing of the full book + postage. Shameful!

Stick that up your ereader.

Plus, if you want to you can sell on your books again, not so with kindle ebooks and so on.

It's a national problem. I live in a country where piracy is the norm, so I fear nothing. There is no law or custom here that discourages me from stealing these books, or acquiring them, in the illegal sense in most countries. The economist Harold Innis wrote a great deal of how Americans exploited their lack of defined copyright for international books to build up a market. This is something similar. It is even easier to steal than to buy, as more books exist in scanned or self-made digital copies than amazon has available in Ebook.

Either way, that will change soon, the kindle is hardly the only reader out there, and there will be an influx of cheaper Chinese equivalents that will break down Amazon's grip on the industry.


Amazon insist that the price is set by the publisher, not by them. This is fine, but why then am I going to order a kindle book for £12.99, when I can get it for £4.99 brand new including postage or such thing. Seriously they have got to sort this out as it is ridiculous. For the last three months my kindle has sat with one book for interest on it and it is all down to the market prices.

To be honest, the book was probably printed with a speculative sales amount, and failed to sell, so they merely are cutting back on their losses. It's a common technique - I purchased a brand new 150$ coffeetable sized book from Princeton for 11$ plus shipping.


Can you not download books from your library onto your Kindle?

In Canada we mostly can do that onto the Kobo, when I left the kindle was restricted by various forces that made the Kobo the gadget of choice. But we still could upload from the public library, yes.

[bookgeeks]

I have both a Kindle tablet and a Nook, but I mostly use the Kindle if I'm going to read an e-book. Of course, I still buy physical books all the time and go back and forth between the two. Depends on what I'm reading, really. I read mostly classic literature on my e-readers because they're in the public domain and thus, free. I read most post WWII literature from physical books because if I'm going to have to buy it, I may as well own it.



so I should Kindle? I am a bookgeek, and I want to know what should I use for my tab.

[Lykren]

I have a nook. I haven't bought any books for it, but have downloaded from Gutenberg instead.

[Buckthorn]

I now have an Archos 80 Titanium as well. I bought it for weird reasons but its good for reading on.

[Goodman Brown]

Well my nook is sitting on a tv stand charging, it's been there for a couple of months! I in turn have been going to discount stores and finding great books for about 1.50 - 2.50 some hard covers ,,,, in my case the nook will be used for traveling , that is what makes the most sense to me right now,I can take a bunch of books and not take up a bunch of space???

[Hal]

so I should Kindle? I am a bookgeek, and I want to know what should I use for my tab.

it depends on your budget.

I'd wait for the iPad Mini retina display.

Right now I have an iPad. I had a Kindle Fire but I ended up giving it away because i just found it to be horrible. One thing that annoys me about Kindle is that the books don't have page numbers. With the iPad the books have page numbers and on the bottom of the screen it will tell you how many pages are left in the chapter you're reading.

If you're going to be using the tablet for more than reading (email, web browsing etc) stay as far away from the Kindle as possible.

[JBI]

The Kindle fire was just an awful idea - the whole point of the ereader was that the screen doesn't burn your eyes - though the fire did. The whole thing is designed like a downgraded ipad.

Still, if one uses a kindle, or any other device for that matter, the most practical use is to sideload the thing with the books you want. You can put almost anything on here in txt format, or in Word format, or Mobi format, and the majority of books are available for free anyway. If one wants to read 19th century fiction, or whatever this is the best method, as you can read the entire pre 1923 canon for free without difficulty.

When it comes to paying for books though, the kindle is a bit ridiculous. Who is going to pay 12.00$ for a book that normally costs 6$. Seriously, the production costs on a kindle book are virtually zero, they have some nerve. Still publishers know, if the Kindle price is bellow the print price, the print run will not sell. The best seller lists are all based on print media, therefore the book will also not generate publicity.

[mona amon]

Not all Kindle books are overpriced. I usually read only the project Guttenberg books, but I recently bought Catch 22 for just $3 something, Wodehouse is about 2.50 or something - but Faulkner is quite expensive - it's all rather erratic.

[osho]

Most people in my part of the world do read pirated versions and one of my friends downloads many books which are otherwise inaccessible generally.I myself being a writer often feel empathetic since the writer who works hard has to deprive himself of the royalty he could get through sales of his books.

[mal4mac]

Amazon insist that the price is set by the publisher, not by them. This is fine, but why then am I going to order a kindle book for £12.99, when I can get it for £4.99 brand new including postage or such thing. Seriously they have got to sort this out as it is ridiculous. For the last three months my kindle has sat with one book for interest on it and it is all down to the market prices.

It's the fault of all those impatient, rich Londoners who "want it now" and don't care about paying twice as much. Do you think the publishers haven't got this sorted out? They don't want to sort it out to suit you, they have it sorted out so they can buy a bigger yacht.

[MorpheusSandman]

When it comes to paying for books though, the kindle is a bit ridiculous. Who is going to pay 12.00$ for a book that normally costs 6$. Seriously, the production costs on a kindle book are virtually zero, they have some nerve. I don't really see any pattern to Kindle VS Book pricing. Most of the Kindle prices for Penguin and Oxford editions of the classics are either lower than or equivalent to their Book versions, so it really becomes about which format you prefer since the price is usually equivalent. OTOH, there are definitely books where the Kindle version is either significantly pricier or significantly cheaper, so it does seem to depend on the publisher. I think many publishers think that because ebooks are becoming the dominant format they can afford to charge a premium, while other publishers are thinking that because it costs so little to produce them they have no reason to charge more. So it's really just about whatever the market ends up telling the publisher. Personally, I'll usually buy the Kindle version (for my iPad) as long as it's not too much more. But if, eg, the Kindle is $12 and the book is $6, then I'll go with the book all day. I'm not going to pay double for the various conveniences of the ereader format.

[thelastmelon]

I bought myself a Kindle Touch about 1,5 years ago, but I've only read about 5-10 books on there, as I can't help but preferring reading actual paper books. I will keep my Kindle and I might bring it when I go on longer trips, or when actual books won't fit into my bags. But until then, I'll keep reading my beloved paper books. Also, if I want to read Swedish books, in Swedish, there are hardly any at all that I've found for the Kindle.

[krishna_lit]

We are living today in an e-age and quite a huge number of us do use electronic readings and own miscellaneous devices. I am using ipad and now thinking about buying Kindle and since it is smaller, handier, and easier to carry than weighty books. I can carry a vast library in my pocket and it costs comparatively lower. There are moments of nostalgia of course when I turn pages of some great epic like the Mahabharata but the day is different today since I have to travel a lot and carrying such books is cumbersome.

I am not sure which electronic device proves better when it comes down to e-reading. My ipad is bulky. I want some mini and compact gadget that will be simple yet more condensed

Lagre ki aap bhi hundustan se ho... Maine toh abhi abhi do teen mahine pehle Kindle Paperwhite khareedh kiya tha, actually voh gift tha. birthday wali.. Aur bahut badiya product hai sir ji... Kyun ki Amazon.in se joh free apps milre na, "Send to Kindle" from PC, we can use that to even click-and-send the books to kindle without even attaching it to the pC, all just through wifi... And the best reading experience of Kindle is because it looks like reading the paper book, the display seems so nice...

Just don't think of anything else and get a Kindle Paperwhite, either Wifi(Rs.10,999) or 3G(Rs.14,999) (and don't go for Kindle Fire tablet, no meaning in buying a tablet PC device to if u want to read books, lot of distraction u knw)... and my hindi ain't so good, bocz am from South India, so sorry if i spelled something wrong..

Happy Reading :)